Casas do Frade

I’d been worried after reading the reviews, but the place wasn’t like that at all. The host was lovely, waited up for us even though we arrived late, and left us local products. The house had everything we needed. The bed was small, but we slept well, and the shower was very good, with several jets. Outside noise was just normal street sounds, dogs, pigeons, and cars. I didn’t need earplugs.

I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The house is extremely noisy: the road alongside it makes cars sound as if they’re driving straight through the bedroom, and dogs bark all night, making it nearly impossible to sleep. It’s also damp and musty. The shower pressure can’t be adjusted, and the beds were very hard and creaky. The duvet didn’t even have a cover, which felt very unhygienic. The owner didn’t speak any English, and unfortunately we weren’t given a refund. It felt like a rip-off and poor value for money.

The backyard was nice, with two sunbeds. The cottage is older, but clean and spacious. The beds are a bit small and not very comfortable, though we slept well. You can hear cars go by, but the road isn’t busy. There’s more barking from dogs on the islands, which apparently comes with the experience.

I wouldn’t recommend this for an overnight stay. The old building is very nice and in good condition, but it’s a bit damp inside and right beside a busy road. Soundproofing is extremely poor, so you hear everything outside, as if it were in Dolby 4.1. Dogs all around bark constantly, and the beds are very hard and creaky. We had to leave. There’s absolutely nothing nearby worth mentioning, and the person who gave us the key spoke only Portuguese.